Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Naveen-ul-Haq urged his team to brush past the resounding 98-run defeat it suffered against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an IPL 2024 game at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.
“It happens. Every team gets a bad day. All we can do is focus on the next game as this one is in the past. We can’t reverse it, however much we think about it. We have to look into the areas we can work and prepare for the next game,” said Naveen at the post-match press conference.
LSG bowlers had a day to forget as KKR became the first team to register a 200+ score in an IPL game at the Ekana Stadium.
Naveen, who was LSG’s best bowler with figures of 3/49 in four overs, admitted that Sunday’s surface favoured the batters while also conceding that his team’s batting display left a lot to desire.
READ | KKR moves top of IPL 2024 points table with thumping win over LSG
“In the games we have played here, I think this was the best wicket to bat on. It wasn’t stopping or gripping. They bowled well, and we didn’t. We didn’t quite do the same thing we did in the chases we pulled off,” said the Afghan pacer.
KKR’s bowling performance was led by fast bowler Harshit Rana, who marked his comeback from a one-match ban – for a breach of IPL’s code of conduct – with a three-wicket haul.
“I feel we read the wicket pretty well. We had a clear idea of what to do on this pitch and what lengths to bowl, and that helped us in our win,” said Harshit after the match.
The 22-year-old also emphasised the trust KKR has in his senior colleague Mitchell Starc, who has endured a tough reinitiation to the IPL, going at 11.37 runs per over this season.
“There is no doubt over Starc. We have total belief in him, and he did win us the game against Mumbai Indias. The team trusts him to win us more matches. All this talk of lack of wickets and economy rate doesn’t make any difference in our belief in him,” added Harshit.
Comments
SHARE